A single parent's job is tiring, often relenting. How can you help a single parent? well, if your mother is a single parent, you no doubt realize that she could use
some help. But as a teenager, you face what one writer called "the most stressful and threatening time of life." It might seem that you have enough to do just coping with being young.
Nevertheless, like the single parent quoted at the outset, your mother may from time to time feel overwhelmed, trying to be both mother and father to you. But still she may feel under considerable pressure. Should you simply ignore her plight, or is there good reason for you to try to help out?
Paying a Due Compensation For A Single Parent
Rendering a bereaved parent financial aid, it does teach an important principle: We owe our parents more than we could ever possibly repay. And when they are in need,it is our duty and privilege to try to compensate them. For example, some youths will use some or all of their earning from part-time jobs to help pay household bills.This demonstrates real gratitude and appreciation!
Financial aid, however, is just one way to pay your parent "a due compensation." Not that you should try to fill the shoes of your absent parent, that would be impossible nor do you need to wear yourself out emotionally, feeling you are fully responsible for all the goings-on in your household. That is still your mother's job as a parent. But there are many practical ways in which you can improve yourself a real asset to your mother if she is a single parent.
1.Obedience: One single parent with a teenage son works long hours to provide for her family. But she says with a sigh:" My son makes life harder when he disobeys me."Her son counters: "I'm the only male in the house. I'm bigger than my mother, so sometimes it's very hard for me to obey and respect her as a family head." You owe your mother respect and obedience. If you are a male, Mom may affectionately call you the man of the house. But she is HEAD of the house! And by obeying her not arguing with her every time she asks you to do something, you lighten her load and make for peace in your family.
2.Help With Housework: Another way to lighten your parent's load is to help with household chores-not waiting till you are nagged into doing them. 'But Mom doesn't ask me to do anything,' you object. Surprisingly, this is often the case. As Carol V. Murdock writes: "Single Mom or Single Dad staggers through the living room with a load of laundry big enough to buckle the strongest knees-and three kids' eyes never leave the television screen."_ Single Parents Are People, Too!
Why do many single parents require so little from their offspring? One single mother reasoned: "I don't want my daughter to have to miss out fun because I have to work. I'm afraid she will resent me for it." Another said: "You want to make up for the absence of the other parent by making it easy for the kids." At the core of such feelings, though, may be your parent's unwarranted sense of guilt. She may feel guilty because maintaining a job keeps her away from you. Or she may feel guilty about her failed marriage, reasoning that she is to blame for your having to live in one-parent home.
Show a different attitude. Refuse to add to your mother's load; do not exempt yourself from household chores.
Taking The Initiative In Helping A Single Parent
This may mean doing what needs to be done without being asked. Consider how young Tony lightens his mother's load. He says: "My mother works in the hospital, and her uniform has to be pressed. So I iron it for her." But it isn't that woman's work? "Some thinks so," replies Tony. "But it helps my mom, so I do it."
Besides offering practical help, you can do much to buoy up your mother's spirits simply by making expressions of appreciation. One single parent wrote: "I often find that when I am really low or irritable from a particularly trying day at work and I come home-that is the day my daughter has chosen to set the table and get the supper going." She adds: "My son puts his arms around me and hugs me and says, 'You're the best little mom in the world.'" How is she affected by such thoughtful acts? She continues: "My whole mood changes for the better again."
The Benefits Of Being A Source Of Help To A Single Parent
Clearly, you owe your parent such consideration. And when you give it, you please her. Another benefit: Your parent will be in a better frame of mind to give you help when you need it.Finally, helping others builds good qualities. As one writer notes: "Young people need opportunities to feel that they are helping and giving to others. When they
have none of these experiences, they cannot discover their own strengths and durability [that come] with knowing you are a good person helping others." And great happiness can be yours if you care enough to help your single parent.
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